A lot of people fail to notice pivotal moments in their lives that could bring them success. Today, I spoke with Dave Seymour, a firefighter and paramedic veteran turned one of the country’s top real estate investors and CEO of Freedom Venture Investments. You’ll also probably recognize his voice as he became known for joining a TV real estate series show called “Flipping Boston.” After achieving great success, Dave has become very passionate about giving people a helping hand up and helping them get their own journey towards a pivotal mindset.
Let’s dive into this episode and find out how his pivotal mindset got him from having a broke mentality to where he is today.
[00:01 – 10:34] Opening Segment
At present, Dave is the CEO of Freedom Venture Investments, a commercial real estate investment firm. He also has $100M in a private equity fund under his control that they’re looking to invest in multi-family real estate assets. But before he got to where he is now, Dave started as a firefighter who’s also working other jobs—reaching almost 120 hours a week—just to maintain his lifestyle. If you’re wondering why, it’s because “In America, you can spend more money than you earn,” Dave says.
Dave refers to spending more than you earn as having a ‘broke mentality.’ However, he was able to turn his life around after experiencing two pivotal moments. Keep on listening to hear about how to recognize pivotal moments in our own lives that can help us get to where we want to be as well.
[10:35- 17:40] Pivotal Mindset Journey
The first pivotal moment Dave had was hearing an ad for a real estate seminar on the radio. He realized that if he keeps on doing what he’s doing, he’ll keep on having what he’s always been having. He knew it was his chance to do something different.
Dave told his now wife about the seminar. Needless to say, she supported him and put a $20,000 debt on her credit card just so he can have his first education on real estate. To Dave, it was like purchasing accountability which made him push harder to succeed in it. After all, we are not just accountable for our actions, we are also accountable for our inactions, according to Dave.
Dave’s changed mindset, coupled with him listening to a lot of other influential people like Tony Robbins and Jim Rohn, made him start to hear new things he’s never heard before. In addition, he also shares about his second pivotal moment—hearing about The Secret by Rhoda Byrne. All these new learning opportunities helped him better envision where he wants to be and helped him on his journey from being a civil servant to achieving financial freedom.
[17:41 – 25:24] Identifying What You Do Not Want in Your Life
For people who don’t have it as bad as working 120 hours like what Dave experienced, it may be a bit harder to figure out what they really want and where they really want to go. So instead of thinking about what you want, Dave says think about what you do NOT want instead.
Some people will probably think it’s counterintuitive but if you really think about it, isn’t pain a more powerful motivator than pleasure or gain?
[25:25 – 33:09] Predator Mentality VS Farm Relationship Mentality
Part of building a successful business is having good relationships with the people you work with. For both Dave and me, it’s all about farming relationships. Also, Dave shares that in every relationship he enters, he does his best to make the person better than how they were before. Thinking about our relationships this way also helps us get out of the “me first” mentality and shift to “you first” or “us first instead.”
Lastly, Dave also shares what he thinks when helping other people. He puts himself in a position to give somebody “a helping hand up but NOT a hand out.” Truly, having the right mindset even in just helping other people will also help you build more meaningful and lasting business and personal relationships. This, in turn, can also contribute greatly to one’s success.
[33:10 – 38:48] The FOCUS FIVE Segment
The FOCUS FIVE are five questions I ask every guest on my show. Keep on listening to find out what book Dave gifts most often; who would he talk to if he can get an hour of any person living or dead, from the past or the present, and why; that one thing he believes but most people will disagree with; his morning routine; and lastly, where are the best places we can connect with him online. (See the links below for Dave’s social media links!)
Tweetable Quotes:
“Entrepreneur with the right mindset knows how to pivot.” – Dave Seymour
“You are accountable for your actions and also your Inactions.” – Dave Seymour
“I can’t keep doing what I have been doing, because if I do I’m going to keep getting what I’ve been getting .” – Dave Seymour
“Everybody starts at 100 and loses points rather than starts at 0 and gains points.” – Dave Seymour
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Tony Robbins
- Jim Rohn
- Henry ford
- Martin Luther king
- The Secret Book
- The Success Secret Book by Jack Canfield
- Winston Churchill
- Jay Shetty
- Daymon John
- Schedule a call with Hans
You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also visit his website onhttps://www.freedomventure.com/ to get a free Ebook
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A few last words
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